


Arranging Marriages

by TheBigLoserQueen



Series: Medieval AU [8]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Arranged Marriage, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Gen, Genderbending, Het, Human, Marriage Proposal, Medieval, One-Sided Attraction, Serious
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-21
Updated: 2017-06-21
Packaged: 2018-11-17 00:09:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11263896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBigLoserQueen/pseuds/TheBigLoserQueen
Summary: Bombrush's advisors decide to go behind their Jarl's back for the sake of Bloodshed's future.





	Arranging Marriages

“Bloodshed-”

“I’m not having this conversation again.”

“Look, Bloodshed, this conversation would stop if you just-!”

“They’re your advisors, so they’re not my problem. It’s your job to keep them happy-”

“And right now, they will only be happy if you just answer them already!” Bombrush cried, throwing hands up in the air in exasperation. It wasn’t like he enjoyed having this conversation either, especially when every time he had it, he got the same answer.

But his advisors didn’t know when to lay off. They were greatly concerned about his son’s apathy towards relationships. He was a young and handsome bachelor and fighter and his own biological son – he would one day take his place as Jarl. And he was also of Dragon’s Blood. It was almost essential for him to marry and produce an heir.

And there were plenty of noblemen and noblewomen wanting their daughters to be the one to help with that. So those people were pressuring his advisors, who then pressured him, forcing him to try and convince his son that he couldn’t put this off forever. Unfortunately, he would have to marry someone eventually and unlike his advisors, he wasn’t going to force Bloodshed to marry someone he didn’t even like.

For someone with as difficult as a personality as Bloodshed’s, an arranged marriage would only be disastrous. He didn’t want to force some poor girl through that, even if she also wanted the marriage… And he did know plenty of young women more than willing to be Bloodshed’s wife.

“I have answered them – I said no.”

“Bloodshed…” Bombrush reached up and rubbed his eyes, leaning back against his seat. He thought he would have been able to corner the boy off in the library, but it seemed he was going to dodge the subject until he died. “Come on. There has to be someone out there you would consider marrying. Just… Is there anyone you’d be okay with having as a wife?”

He didn’t answer right away, his mind flashing to Thornstriker. Ever since the Grand Tourney, he had only seen her a few times when he came to visit. They were friends now, but nothing close… And he couldn’t stop thinking about her. She was just so sweet, kind… and she had been the only one to ever bring out his dragon aura like that.

All she had done was kiss him once, on the cheek. As thanks for saving her from those men. And then… she slept with him. Not like that, but slept beside him, thinking he was having a nightmare and needed someone to keep him calm. It was dangerous for her to do something like that with a stranger, even if she was being nice, but…

She wasn’t afraid of him. And she didn’t treat him differently even after she found out that he was Jarl Bombrush’s son. Sometimes he found his heart beating faster around her, almost like some brat around his first crush. And she was really cute and being around her made him feel good. He wished he could spend more time with her, but he had work and so did she. He couldn’t just show up unannounced all the time.

“I don’t know,” he finally grumbled, turning back to the book he had been reading before his father came in. “Maybe, I guess… Just tell your advisors to drop it already.”

Bombrush raised an eyebrow, a bit surprised. He had been asking the same question for years now and this was the first time the boy didn’t flat out say no. “Is there?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“But you didn’t say no either,” Bombrush pointed out, watching the other’s glare darken. “Who is she?”

“There’s no one, so drop it.”

“You’re not very convincing, Bloodshed.”

“Just leave her out of this, damn it!”

“So there is someone!”

Bloodshed groaned, slamming his book shut as he slammed it on the desk. Why couldn’t the old fucker just drop it already?! He didn’t want to marry Thornstriker! At least not now… Maybe in the future, if they grew closer, if she was even remotely interested him… No, he wasn’t just going to marry her because his father’s stupid advisors wanted him to have kids!

He reached up to rub his eyes, trying to ignore the smirk on his father’s face. Why couldn’t he bother Soundwave’s kids about this? Why was he considered to the heir? He didn’t want it… But no. He had the Dragon’s Blood. One of the last few people in the world to have it. And everyone wanted him to pass that on to future children so the blood wouldn’t die out.

No way in hell he would force that onto Thornstriker’s shoulders. They were barely friends! And if those advisors found out he liked her even just a little bit… They would make her marry him and have his children. She would have no choice in the matter and he would rather die than have her face the advisors.

“Bloodshed…”

“Leave. It. Alone.”

Well, whoever this girl was, Bloodshed was pretty desperate to protect her. Seriously, just when had he met her? He tried to think just who he might have met to get him so defensive. He couldn’t have been anyone at any of the galas they had been going to. He hated going to them, always having a sour face whenever he was forced to go.

So that probably meant the girl wasn’t nobility. But if she wasn’t nobility, who was Bloodshed talking to among the commoners? He knew Bloodshed went down in the market more often than not, especially recently… Maybe to see that girl. But when could they have met? Bloodshed only went down there to drink, fight in those underground rings, and sleep with more than willing women.

Except during the Grand Tourney. When he didn’t stay at the palace… Novabomb had told him that Bloodshed crashed at some girl’s place, her way of giving thanks for him helping her out. And her name…

“Is it that Thornstriker woman you met at the Tourney?”

The deep growl and darkened growl online confirmed it.

“Bloodshed-”

“Don’t tell them.”

“I won’t,” Bombrush assured him. Besides, bringing this girl up to the advisors would no doubt lead to him being buried in an early grave. And if she was just a commoner, she wasn’t ready to deal with his advisors… Last thing he needed was for the only person Bloodshed had ever showed romantic interest in to be scared off.

Still, he would have to tell his advisors that Bloodshed had his eye on someone. He just wouldn’t say who for everyone’s sake. Maybe this girl and Bloodshed just needed to grow closer, have a little more intimacy develop between the two of them before any sort of formal engagement was discuss. After all, he wasn’t even sure how close Bloodshed was this girl.

But he could tell she was someone important to him, even if Bloodshed was still unsure about things himself. That was fine though, he could give the boy time. He had stalled his advisors for a long time already, he could do it for another year or two.

* * *

“Are you certain?” Jugs asked, turning to the panting, lanky man standing before him

“Yes!” Nero cried, nodding vigorously as he desperately tried to catch his breath. “I heard him say it himself – there is someone he wants to marry!”

Nero had been in the library, checking up on a few books regarding certain commoner laws when he had come across the Jarl and his son chatting in the library. He had kept himself hidden behind the shelves, hoping that he would finally hear some good news regarding Bloodshed and marriage.

He only got half of what he wished for. It appeared that the boy actually found someone he did want to marry, but the girl was a commoner! While it was relieving to hear Bloodshed actually wanted to continue the bloodline, why did he have to want to marry a commoner? The Thanes and nobles were going to be furious…

“Who is she?” Astra asked, who was still sitting at the table and looking over charts.

“That’s where the issue comes in,” Nero said, sitting down on the couch across from Jugs. “Apparently, this girl is the same one Sir Bloodshed stayed with during the Grand Tourney.”

Jugs’ face scrunched up in confusion. “Who?”

“Thornstriker,” Astra replied, leaning back in his chair. “Novabomb said she and Bloodshed met during the Tourney and he stayed at her home instead of the palace. A baker’s daughter.”

“A baker-?!” A look of horror came over Jugs’ face. “Sir Bloodshed cannot marry a simple baker’s daughter! The nobles will be furious! Do you know how long they have been on us to arrange something between their daughters and him?”

“I know, but she’s the only one he’s ever expressed interest in marrying.” Nero looked just as exasperated as Jugs did, rubbing his eyes. “And Jarl Bombrush already made it clear he won’t force his son into an arranged marriage.”

“Then let’s find out more about this girl and then find a noblewoman who’s similar to her!” Jugs was already moving to stand up. Like hell he was going to let Bloodshed marry some commoner while they dealt with the vicious onslaught of jilted nobles. “If we find someone like her, then his interests will move to this girl and he’ll forget-!”

“Bloodshed isn’t that shallow,” Astra said, letting out a heavy sigh. “We can’t do that.”

“But Astra-!”

The oldest advisor held up a hand, urging Jugs to sit down again. The portly man did reluctantly, grumbling to himself as he folded his arms across his chest. It wasn’t that Astra didn’t understand their concerns, he had them too. But Bloodshed wasn’t the type to fall for just anyone. Primus, this was the first time he had ever been romantically interested in anyone!

And, as Bombrush said, Bloodshed would not be forced into an arranged marriage. Even if Bombrush did try, the boy probably wouldn’t even show up for his own wedding. And that was a far more scandalous affair than him having a commoner for a wife.

“We’ll have to arrange for this girl to come stay here.”

“What?!” Jugs and Nero shouted, jumping to their feet. Was Astra out of his mind?! Was he really just going to accept a commoner as Bloodshed’s wife, the future mother of children of Dragon’s Blood? The man must have truly lost his mind if he seriously believed that this was the best answer.

“Astra, you can’t-!”

“We have no choice.” He remained firm, eyes narrowing at the two. “This may be our only chance to finally have him married. It’s better to just count our blessings and be thankful he wants to marry at all. We must accept her.”

“But she’s-!”

“I’m aware, but that isn’t important. We can handle the noblemen later, but for now, we need to focus on securing the bloodline and having Bloodshed produce heirs. And this girl, commoner or not, is how we can achieve our goals.”

“Astra, I really think-!”

“Do you really want to reject this girl when she’s might be the only one Bloodshed would ever marry? Or do you want to run around finding a replacement Bloodshed won’t even agree to?”

They didn’t respond, exchanging glances with each other. No, they didn’t want to do that. They were already wasting time on this. Bloodshed had been of age to marry for a while now… If they kept putting this off, the boy would never marry and never have heirs. It would be so much easier to just have this commoner marry him and then train her to be a proper lady than go out and find one Bloodshed would like.

Primus, why did Bloodshed have to be so difficult? He didn’t have to love any noblewoman, he just had to marry her and have children! But Bombrush had instilled it into him that no one should marry other than love… They never thought Bloodshed would listen to his father, considering how they didn’t get along.

But no, this seemed to be the one thing he agreed with and was now making their life harder. Astra was right – they didn’t have much of a choice here. They had to find this girl and fast, before Bloodshed changed his mind.

This was not going to fun for anyone, was it?

* * *

Thornstriker hummed softly to herself, moving around some bags of flour while her brother and sister-in-law worked out in the front. It wasn’t too busy today, so she worked out in the back while they tended to the baking and customers. Thanks to her new friend’s visits nowadays, more and more people were coming to their shop.

She would have to thank him soon, even if it was just an unexpected side effect of Bloodshed’s visits.

Airstream didn’t like the idea of her being friends with Bloodshed, a man of Dragon’s Blood and Jarl Bombrush’s only son, but he couldn’t complain about the increase in business. He had a bit of a reputation, so wherever he went, people tended to follow.

She was a little sad she couldn’t see him more, but he was probably incredibly busy. It couldn’t have been easy being the son of an important Jarl, especially when you were one of the few people left in the world with Dragon Blood running through your veins. Their friendship wasn’t nearly as important as his duties.

But she still wanted to see him more. He was always so nice to her, even though she was just some commoner who worked in a bakery. And he was so handsome – some of the women were jealous that she had managed to befriend him. Even she wasn’t really sure how it happened, but she was happy nonetheless.

He was nothing like the rumors. Everyone said he was this rough and gruff playboy… but he was so sweet. And he loved to read books, just like she did. And he was surprisingly funny too, what with his little deadpan jokes every now and then. He was so kind and gentle… He had never been aggressive towards her once.

Not counting that time he pinned her to the bed. But that had been an accident. After all, she had probably scared him while he was sleeping. And once he realized what had happened, he was incredibly apologetic. He would never hurt anyone. People just judged him…

“Thornstriker.”

She snapped out of her thoughts, looking up to see Wheeljack standing in the doorway. She was surprised to find her sister-in-law look so nervous and on edge. Concerned, she put down the bag of sugar she was carrying and walked over to her.

“What’s wrong, Wheeljack?”

She didn’t answer. Instead, she gestured for her to follow out into the front. Thornstriker, confused, tiptoed behind her as Wheeljack moved her body to keep Thornstriker out of sight. Moving forward, they could hear Airstream talking rather loudly to someone. Which meant that he was angry about whoever was currently in the shop.

Wheeljack stood in the doorway, leaving Thornstriker having to peek over her shoulder. While her brother stood behind the counter, glaring intensely, an older well-dressed man stood opposite of him… with several guards behind him. She thought for a moment that they were trying to arrest her brother. He didn’t have the best temper and never had any problems saying something insulting when he felt it was warranted…

“I’m telling you to get out,” Airstream growled, his hands balling into fists on the counter.

“Sir, I’m afraid I can’t do that,” the other man said, holding up his hands. "This is an important matter and I need to speak with your sister, Miss Thornstriker, who I was informed works here."

"And I'm telling you no. Go back to whatever noble hole you decided to crawl from and leave her alone!"

They wanted to talk to her? Thornstriker quickly went over every possible idea as to why someone like this man would want to talk to her. She hadn't done anything to offened anyone, and most of the nobles who had come through were always so nice. Sure, there were some who came off as snobbish, but that was still a normal occurence in this hold. And besides, she had never really talked to any of their noble customers...

"Sir, it is of the utmost importance that we speak with Miss Thornstriker," the man asked again; it was obvious that he was about to lose his temper, and to a commoner, that always meant the guards would be forced to take action. "Time is of the essence."

"I said No!" Airstream's hard tone caused a guard to step forward. Even though the nobleman stopped his advance, Thornstriker could see where this might be going. She didn't want her brother hurt because of her, and the nobleman only wanted to talk, right? There couldn't have been any harm in that.

Wheeljack was prepared for Thornstriker to duck under her arm. Before she could even try to pull her back, Thornstriker had moved to stand on the other side of the counter. She could see some of the guards had turned to look at her, eyeing her suspiciously. Taking a deep breath, she cleared her throat. Everyone turned to her, Airstream having a look of horror on his face while the older man just eyed her.

"U-Um, pardon me, sir," she curtsied politely, just in case he was a strict Thane or something. "I'm Thornstriker... Wh-What did you wish to speak about?"

The man immediately turned to her, eyeing her up and down. "You're Miss Thornstriker? Twenty-three and unmarried? Have been working in this bakery since you were sixteen? Are aquantinces with Lady Solstice and Lord Bloodshed?"

"U-Uh... Yes...?" Why did he mention her age and martial status? And was it bad that she was friends with both Bloodshed and Solstice? Maybe he had been sent by the Jarls... Perhaps they didn't like a commoner like her spending time with them. She had heard from Solstice and Bloodshed that some nobles believing that associating with commoners was a bad thing. Maybe this man was one of those people?

The man stepped closer. "How long have you know Lord Bloodshed?"

"A-A little over half a year, sir."

"Has he ever mentioned marriage to you?"

Thornstriker grew even more confused. Marriage? With Bloodshed? Why would he ever even bring that up? They were just friends!

"That's enough!" Airstream suddenly shouted, forcing everyone to turn to him. Coming out from behind the counter, he stormed to the noble to force him to leave. He didn't touch the man, though he never got the chance to as a pair of the guards grabbed him. "Wh-Let go of me!"

"Airstream!" Fearful for her husband, Wheeljack came out from behind the counter. However, though her stance wasn't aggressive and she wasn't moving for the nobleman, he ordered another guard to restrain her too. She shrieked when she found herself being held back next to her husband, who was putting up a good struggle but to no avail.

"No stop, please!" Thornstriker was horrified to see her family being restrained. They had done nothing wrong. These people were the ones that showed up here unannounced. And this man had been asking rather invasive questions about her relationship with the Jarl's son. Her brother was only trying to protect and Wheeljack was only trying to protect him.

"Please miss," the nobleman turned her attention back, completely ignoring the horrified look on her face. "Has Lord Bloodshed made any mention of marriage to you?"

"No, no, he hasn't! Now please let them go!" Thornstriker was almost in tears. Coming out from behind the counter proved to be a mistake. She should have just remained hidden behind Wheeljack in the back room. Then her brother and sister-in-law wouldn't be restrained like this or potentially something worse could happen to them.

"A pity, but regardless I'm afraid you must come with me."

Thornstriker had zero time to react when he suddenly grabbed her arm, pulling her behind him as he walked out of the bakery. She cried out in horror, trying to pull herself free, but to no avail. She could hear Airstream and Wheeljack calling out after her, still being held back by the guards as she was dragged outside. There was a crowd gathered outside now, standing back and staring in fear and confusion as she was dragged towards a carriage.

“N-No! Let go!” she cried, desperately trying to free herself. But the man’s grip was tight, refusing to be shaken as she was pulled in front of him, handed off to another guard.

While the man entered the carriage, Thornstriker tears were starting to trickle down her face struggled as the guard tried to force her inside. She feared if she was pushed in, she wouldn’t see her family again. She had no idea where she was being taken. Why she was being taken. Primus, just what had she done for this to happen?!

The guard was finally able to shove her into the carriage before quickly following in. She tried to jump over him, but he slammed the door closed and forced her to sit down. She wiggled and whimpered, terrified when she realized the carriage was already starting to move. Primus, she could still hear Airstream and Wheeljack calling out to her…

What was going to happen to her? To her family? She prayed they wouldn’t get in trouble… They hadn’t done anything wrong! And she hadn’t done anything wrong either. At least she couldn’t remember doing something wrong. And if she had, she would apologize!

Though all she could do at that moment was shake and whimper, wondering why this was happening… And praying that everything would be all right.

* * *

Bloodshed had no idea why Astra and Jugs were insisting on him staying home today. They knew he hated being forced to stay home when he had nothing to do. But they insisted that they had matters to discuss with him and his father later in the day.

And now it was later in the day and they still had yet to tell him or Bombrush just what the hell was going on. They were gathered in one of the parlors, Jugs speaking to Bombrush about something regarding their borders. Bloodshed was just staring out the window into the gardens, ignoring Astra’s attempts to get his attention.

He had been hoping to go see Thornstriker today. It had been his first free day in nearly two weeks, but instead of spending more time with her, he was stuck in this stupid household.

“Sir Bloodshed, please, if you could only-”

He finally turned to face the other man, though with a glare on his face. “What?”

“Now, now, I only want to discuss-”

“If you just wanted to talk, you should have done it already,” Bloodshed snarled, drawing the attention of the other two men in the room. “I’ve got better things to do than have you waste my time.”

“Bloodshed,” Bombrush said, holding up a hand to calm the other down. While he wasn’t sure why they were doing this, Astra was his most trusted advisor for a reason. Astra wouldn’t just keep them there for nothing, unlike Jugs and Nero.

Which did make him wonder just where Nero was. He and Jugs were normally the pair stuck together whereas Astra would be the one to go off and tend to matters. But if Astra stayed behind… Whatever he had to say, he was mainly going to be saying it to Bloodshed. The boy would never listen to the other advisors like he would Astra.

Though that didn’t mean that Bloodshed just rolled over for the other either.

“Spit it out already,” he growled, ignoring his father. “Why the hell am I here?!”

Astra sighed. He wished Nero would hurry up and arrive soon. He knew the other had brought the girl back to the manor already and was getting her ready, but why was it taking so long? When it came to Bloodshed, he couldn’t stall forever. He was lucky enough the boy was still sitting! He looked ready to storm out any minute… Or possibly come over and rip his head from his neck.

“I understand you don’t wish to discuss this, but it’s important Bloodshed. You need to marry-!” He stopped when Bloodshed suddenly stood up, storming towards the door.

“Bloodshed!” Bombrush called, only to be ignored.

He was not dealing with this bullshit again. He didn’t want to marry anyone right now. And he especially didn’t want to marry any of those prissy, spoiled daughters of elitist, egotistical, greedy noblemen. He would rather throw himself off the side of a mountain than even imagine having to be married to any of those women.

He should have been at the marketplace. He should have been with Thornstriker, hanging out with her, chatting, enjoying her company… Not here with these idiots that were trying to butt into his personal life.

“Please, Sir Bloodshed, she’ll be here any moment-!”

That got him to pause. And turn around, his eyes wide with rage. “You brought someone here?!” he shouted, his eyes slitted and his aura starting to glow around him.

“Yes, but I can assure you-!”

“I am not marrying some stupid bimbo you fuckers decided on!” Then he turned to his father, who just looked completely bewildered by what was going on. “Bombrush, if you had anything to do with this, I swear I’ll-!”

“I have no idea what he’s talking about!” Bombrush was just as shocked as Bloodshed was about all of this. Since when the hell did Astra and the others go behind his back like this? He had told them that he would not agree to forcing his son in an arranged marriage. Pixela had not wanted that for her son and he would respect her wishes.

So why were his advisors doing this and just causing him more problems than necessary? He was the one who had to deal with Bloodshed’s wrath in the end. And as strong and capable as he was, Bloodshed was stronger and more willing to destroy everything around him. Even if that meant half the manor was in pieces.

“I’m not marrying anyone!” he snarled, his aura getting wilder. “Stop trying to shove me into this!”

“Bloodshed, just-!”

The doors suddenly opened, causing everyone to turn around. Nero finally came through, two guards right behind him. And in between those guards, each holding an arm, was a young woman dressed in a beautiful flowing green gown, her hair all dress-up and her make-up thick. She looked confused and frightened, wiggling in between the two guards… Until her eyes met Bloodshed’s, whose aura completely vanished out of pure shock.

“Bl-Blood-Bloodshed…?” she whimpered.

“Th-Thornstriker?!”

Bombrush’s eyes widened at the sudden declaration. He could only watch as his son rushed forward, pushing past Nero while the two guards immediately backed off. He quickly kneeled down in front of the frightened woman, who clung to him shaking. Bloodshed was still too shocked to say anything, just hugging her tightly and gently trying to calm her down.

The Jarl turned to his advisors. Nero and Jugs moved to hide behind Astra, who was slowly moving forward. His eyes narrowed at them, his own aura starting to flare up.

“Talk. Now.”

Astra bowed deeply, knowing how much of a risk they had taken. But they had been left no choice. This was there only option, even if they had to go behind his back.

“Forgive me, My Jarl,” Astra said as he slowly raised his head. “Nero overheard you and your son speak about Miss Thornstriker in the library. And as much as the two of you try to push this off, your son is of age. He needs to carry on the bloodline and have heirs. He needs to marry.”

“I know that!” Bombrush snapped, throwing his arms up. “But we also agreed we would not force him!”

“We agreed we wouldn’t force him to marry someone he didn’t want to,” Astra corrected. “But your son said that he did find someone and we’re running out of time.”

Thornstriker paused. As her racing mind settled and her breathing evened, she heard what the advisor said. Bloodshed had found someone? And all of this was for marriage? Pulling back, she looked straight to Bloodshed. She wasn't oblivious, she could put two and two together, but it still begged the question; did Bloodshed really feel that way towards her?

Sure, he had come to see her more often now. Despite the attention that brought to her brother and sister-in-law's store, he only ever came to see her. She thought it was because they were merely friends, but… Had she been wrong? Did he see her as something she didn’t anticipate?

"B-Bloodshed?" her voice soft, but he still didn't look to her, instead hiding his face in the crux of her neck.

"We're not 'running out of time'," Bombrush snarled. "He's still young and has at least three centuries more to live, even more if he doesn't do something stupid."

"But the woman he said he would be satisfied with marrying isn't!" Astra cried, gesturing to the confused human still in the room. "And we know that it'll be a long time before he finds anyone again! He isn't like you, My Jarl!"

"That isn't relevant-!"

"You will eventually pass away, My Jarl, and Bloodshed will succeed you. As long as he marries once and has children, we won't need to stress about it later. Which is why, after Lady Pixela passed away, we did not pressure you to remarry."

"Yes, you did-"

"Long after she had passed and you were having flings with everyone who was willing to be with you!" Astra knew that Bombrush had been angry with at the time, but he and his advisors had no choice. Before he met and married Lady Soundwave, Bombrush was out of control with his numerous paramours. He had to protect his Jarl's reputation and legacy. A widowed Jarl wasn't a very pleasing sight for the nobility.

Bloodshed couldn't stand this anymore. Especially not when he could see Thornstriker grow more confused and distressed the more the men talked. Wanting to get out of there, he stood up and lifted the young woman into his chest. She let out a small cry, confused and drawing everyone's attention to them.

Astra's eyes widened. "Sir Bloodshed, where are you-?!"

Bloodshed turned his head back at that, his eyes slitted and looking ready to rip their heads from their necks. The advisors froze while Bombrush huffed, shaking his head. Primus, he looked ready to kill… And probably the one reason why his aura wasn’t out of control or he wasn’t breathing fire was because he was holding onto Thornstriker.

He just raised a hand to dismiss his fuming son. Without even sparing a glance back, the boy stormed out of the room with Thornstriker in his arms. What a disaster.

* * *

Thornstriker wasn’t sure what to say when Bloodshed brought her to his room. He set her down on the loveseat near his bed before going to his bathroom and bringing back some wet washcloths and a brush. He hadn’t said a word, but she could see that he looked incredibly distressed.

But he didn’t say anything about that. He helped her wipe off her makeup and gently removed the pins from her hair, brushing it out. Thinking it was okay, she kicked off the shoes she had been forced to wear; they were too big for her and she kept slipping out of them anyway.

“Are you all right?” he asked, putting down the hairbrush.

“Y-Yes, I’m all right, j-just a little… surprised.”

“What happened?” Bloodshed swore, once he brought Thornstriker back home, he was going to murder those advisors. The consequences be damned if they went around doing shit like this and effectively ruining all of his relationships.

“I… Th-That man, he came to the shop asking for me. H-He asked if you had ever proposed. Then Airstream became upset and the guards restrained him and Wheeljack. I-I asked him to let them go and told him you hadn’t… But then he just told me to go with him and dragged me into the carriage. When we got here, I was forced to change and these women did my hair and makeup…”

When he did come after the advisors, Nero was going to die first. How could he do that to her?! She probably had been terrified half to death! And her brother and sister-in-law were probably worried sick about her…

What a fucking disaster and for once, his stupid father had nothing to do with.

Thornstriker watched as Bloodshed picked up the used rag and the hair pins, retreating back into the bathroom while she continued to fix her hair with the brush. She was still trying to wrap her mind around what she had heard in the parlor earlier. That Bloodshed… was running out of time? And that he wanted to marry her?

She didn’t understand. They had only known each for half a year! And even then, they hadn’t been able to meet off all too often because of their conflicting statuses and work. Not to mention she was a commoner – why would Bloodshed even want to marry someone like her?

He came back from the bathroom, running a hand through his hair. He looked even more stress than he did before, especially when he moved back to kneel in front of her.

“Blood-!”

“I’m sorry,” he murmured quietly, bowing his head. “I’ll send you back home in a bit… And tell my advisors to leave you alone. They won’t bother you again, I promise.”

“N-No, Bloodshed, it’s all right, I’m fine.”

“I’m still sorry.”

Thornstriker shook her head again. It wasn’t Bloodshed’s fault what happened. It wasn’t as if he had orchestrated the whole thing and forced her to be brought to him. That didn’t change the reasons as to why she was brought here. Reasons she didn’t a hundred percent fully understand and wanted to, especially if what she was thinking was true.

Setting down the brush on her lap, she took a deep breath. She had to ask. She couldn’t just dance around the subject, not if those men tried to bring her back here a second time.

“Bloodshed?”

He looked up to meet her eyes.

“… Is it true what they said? That… since you’re running out of time… you wanted to marry me?”

He stiffened, his eyes immediately averting her gaze. He even leaned back from her, not sure what he should say. He didn’t want to say no, but saying yes wouldn’t have necessarily been true. He may have not have been running out of time, but… He wasn’t sure. He definitely had strong feelings for Thornstriker, but marriage? Children?

He couldn’t say. But she had been the only one to ever make his aura come out like it had that one night. And all she did was kiss him on the cheek. Just a soft, chaste kiss that probably didn’t even mean anything.

“I… I’m not running out of time,” he murmured. “I… like my father said, I’ll probably live for a long time. I don’t need to marry or have kids right away.”

“… But your advisors said-?”

“Thornstriker, please, I-!” He stopped to calm himself down. Damn his stupid advisors for putting him through this. “They’re just overly paranoid and worry too much about what other nobles think. I never thought once of forcing you to marry me. That’s my advisors, I swear…”

“But, Bloodshed… Do you want to marry me?”

“I… don’t know,” he admitted softly, hanging his head to hide the blush that was starting to crawl onto his cheeks. “I mean, I… I-I like you, Thornstriker. And I like… spending time with you. You make me feel… good when we’re together, b-but I… I never thought about marrying anyone.”

He still refused to meet her gaze, but Thornstriker was fine with that, especially since she didn’t want him to see the huge blush on her face. So… Bloodshed did like her romantically. But he wasn’t sure if he wanted to marry her… not because he didn’t like her enough, but because he had never actually thought about marriage in general. Which made sense.

She was still trying to wrap her mind around the fact that he liked her. She was just a commoner! A commoner who worked at a bakery in a city outside of Jarl Bombrush’s land… How could Bloodshed have feelings for someone like her?

"Does...does it matter to you that I'm a commoner?" Thornstriker felt compelled to ask, if only to answer the nagging question. Why would Bloodshed, the son of a Jarl and a carrier of the Dragon's Blood, have interest in a commoner? He made it clear that it wasn't a physical attraction, much to her relief, but even then any form of attraction left her rather stumped.

"I could care less," he said. Hell, he preferred commoners over nobility over the time. At least they didn't know who he was half the time and they weren't trying to butter up to him.

"Then... If you did think about it... would you want to marry me?"

He hesitated. He didn't want to say yes because he didn't want to scare her... but saying no just sounded wrong too. Damn it, he never should have said anything to Bombrush. Then Nero wouldn’t have heard him and the bastard wouldn’t have told the others. And then Thornstriker wouldn’t have to be here now, confronting him on his feelings.

“Bloodshed?”

“… Yes,” he murmured out sheepishly. “I… If I had to get married tomorrow, I’d… want to marry you. And the advisors know that… that I’ve never said that about anyone before. So they’re just jumping on this now and trying to force you into this.”

Thornstriker blushed, biting her bottom lip as she looked at her hands. So he did want to marry her. And if she liked him back, they would probably marry as soon as his advisors could arrange it. With their urging, she would be his wife and mother his children.

But she didn’t see him in that way. She did think he was handsome and they did have a lot in common. But they were just friends. Even Bloodshed, despite saying he liked her, seemed a little unsure about actually forming anything more than friendship with her. By the sounds of it, it seemed as if Bloodshed had never been in love before…

And neither had she.

Before they could say anything else, the doors opened. Thornstriker and Bloodshed both stood, but when Bloodshed saw who entered, he immediately put himself in between Thornstriker and the unwelcomed guests.

“Get out,” he snarled.

“Sir Bloodshed, please.” Astra entered the room with Bombrush and the other advisors in tow, bowing low in an attempt to appease him. “Our methods were rash, yes, but you must understand your position. You cannot remain unmarried forever. And if this woman is the one you wish to spend your life with, then-!”

“You didn’t even take her own feelings into account!” Bloodshed shouted, though he immediately bit his tongue when he felt Thornstriker’s hands grip the back of his shirt tightly.

“We were not planning on forcing you two to marry right away.”

“But you were planning on it.”

“We merely wanted her to live here for a short while!” Astra cried. “We wanted you to have a chance to court properly since we were aware of your hesitations!”

Before Bloodshed could snap again, Thornstriker moved to stand beside him, though kept close in case someone tried to grab her again. Her sudden movement caused everyone to turn to her. She tensed up a bit, but forced herself to ask, “Wh-What do you mean… court properly?”

“Miss Thornstriker,” Bombrush’s voice drew her attention to him, curtsying out of respect. “My advisors… while they acted out of line, were not intending to force you to marry my son. They knew that you two were not romantically involved.”

Bloodshed only looked annoyed by the answer. “So why did they-?!”

“We wanted you to try and perhaps… become more acquainted with each other,” Astra explained, his gaze turning to Thornstriker more than Bloodshed. “We believed if you two were able to spend more time together, then you could confirm whether or not you wanted to marry each other.”

Thornstriker glanced up at Bloodshed, who was still glaring at the advisors. Well… At least it wasn’t like she initially though. While she didn’t appreciate being dragged from her home like that, it could have been worse. And Bloodshed did have feelings for her, despite her just being friends with him…

“Miss Thornstriker.” She looked back to Astra, who was bowing low much to her shock. “Please. We beg of you – please consider living here to allow Sir Bloodshed a chance to court you properly. If you do not share his feelings after that time has passed, then-!”

“Stop conning her into this!” Bloodshed moved himself in between his advisors and Thornstriker again, his aura flaring up. Damn it, they were going to completely ruin his relationship with her! After this, he wouldn’t have been surprised if she wanted nothing to do with him… Why did these bastards always have to ruin his life?!

Thornstriker merely watched as Bloodshed argued with the advisors, Nero and Jugs joining in as well while Bombrush was left to try and mediate the situation. She looked between everyone, biting her bottom lip as she held her hands to her chest.

The advisors… just wanted her to give Bloodshed a chance. They really wanted him to marry and have children. Heirs to carry on the Dragon Bloodline. And while he would live for a long time, things could always happen. Something… terrible or just… maybe for whatever reason, once he hit a certain age, he wouldn’t be able to have children.

She was noting how that seemed to be the advisors’ biggest concerned. They just wanted him to have children. Marrying someone was probably their second concern, not wanting a son of a Jarl to have a child out of wedlock. That certainly would have been quite a scandal.

And Bloodshed… She glanced up at him. He had done a lot for her in the short time they knew each other. He would help out in the back when they had large crowds at the bakery. He had saved her multiple times from aggressive customers. He had no issues running quick errands with or for her when she was busy. He would always help her when she needed him and he never asked for anything in return.

Even if she didn’t see him in that way… She could at least try. Not just for his advisors, but maybe for him as well. He did say he liked her. Maybe he wanted to spend more time with her too. And if that was what he wanted, it wouldn’t hurt her.

“Um…”

The men quickly fell silent, turning around to look at Thornstriker.

“I… I wouldn’t have to marry him, would I? I-If I chose to… allow him to court me?”

Bloodshed’s eyes widened. What was she doing?!

“No, Miss,” Astra said. “You would only be required to stay here, in the hopes that the two of could grow close. And if you still do not want to marry, you will not be forced. You may return home.”

“… Then I’ll stay,” she said softly, pushing her hair behind her ear. “B-But I’d like to return home and… get a few personal things. A-And let my family know I’m all right.”

“Wait, Thorn-!”

“Very well. We will have a carriage ready for you to send you home for the day. But we will return in two days to collect you again.”

“Th-Thank you, My Lord.”

Bombrush let out a small sigh of relief. Well, at least this wouldn’t end in some rushed marriage… And he was relieved that Bloodshed’s cute friend didn’t jump on the first chance she got to get out of this place. This would keep his advisors happy, at least for a little bit. Though they would have a hell of a time explaining why this new woman, a commoner, was living with Bloodshed.

But judging by the bewildered look on his son’s face, he could tell the boy had a lot to say. Probably preferably when he and the advisors left the room and the young ones had a moment to talk privately.

Quickly, he ushered the advisors out of the room. He spared a glance at his son, who was still staring at Thornstriker in disbelief. He would have chuckled if he knew it wouldn’t end in a fist to the face. Bombrush wasn’t sure if Bloodshed was aware of what sort of face he was making… Maybe he liked the young woman more than he thought he did.

Once the door had closed behind the four, Bloodshed turned to Thornstriker with wide eyes. She wasn’t meeting his gaze, rubbing the back of her neck.

“Thornstriker, you didn’t have to agree.”

“I know… I wanted to.”

“You don’t need to worry about appeasing them,” he assured her, kneeling down in front of her. He didn’t need her being intimidated by a bunch of bluebloods because they couldn’t deal with his life choices.

She shook her head. “I’m not… I-I want to do this.”

“I don’t want you being uncomfortable.”

“N-No, it’s fine… I want to do this. It’s all right.”

He wanted to know why, but he decided not to ask. He didn’t want to make her seem like she was making a mistake or anything… And truthfully, he was slightly looking forward to being able to see her more often. He wished it wasn’t because she was living here, he knew things were going to be awkward for a while because of that.

Primus, her brother was probably going to be furious. And while he would enjoy getting under the bastard’s skin, it wasn’t like he wasn’t worried either. Someone was bound to find out that some unknown woman was living in this house. He would have to keep a closer eye on Thornstriker, just in case some noble decided to pull something stupid and try to hurt her.

This wasn’t going to be easy. But at least he would get to be with her, even if only for a little while.


End file.
